Hitachi taps mania for robotic vacuum cleaners

Hitachi Appliances Inc., a unit of Hitachi Ltd., will launch a robotic vacuum cleaner that it says can clean hard-to-reach areas. At only 25 centimeters wide, the product named minimaru is smaller than rival models and can reach where others cannot, such as spaces between furniture and in the corners of a room, Hitachi Appliances said. It will hit stores on Nov. 19. Sales in Japan totaled some 200,000 units in fiscal 2015, a 2.3-fold expansion from five years earlier, the company said. It moves swiftly and has sensors that help it to avoid hitting the walls and furniture. It is easy to care for, as it has brushes that clean themselves automatically, Hitachi Appliances said.